Review: The Big Sick

Based on the true love story between a Pakistani man and an American girl, The Big Sick deals with issues unique to a generation finding its place between tradition and passion. More than a love story, it is a tale of the struggle between family and identity in an age where they are often incompatible.

Directed by Michael Showalter (Wet Hot American Summer) and produced by Judd Apatow (Freaks and Geeks, Superbad, Anchorman), the film’s script is written by Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley, Adventure Time) and his wife Emily Gordon, and is based on their own love story. The non-fictive element lends The Big Sick an air of authenticity and originality. While the character of Emily is played by Zoe Kazan (Revolutionary Road), Nanjiani plays the role of himself.

The film’s tone maintains its light-heartedness throughout, despite the dark suggestions in its title, as Kumail performs his subversive comedy routines on-stage, navigates his way through a seemingly endless stream of blind dates set up by his mother, and attempts to bond with Emily’s parents, Beth (Holly Hunter) and Terry (Ray Romano), in order to stay by her side at the hospital (meeting the parents is supposed to be difficult, but when their daughter is in the Intensive Care Unit, it adds a whole other layer to the awkwardness).

The plot might not be the most original ever to grace the big screen – the narrative of a man winning back a girl after realising he’s made a mistake isn’t exactly new to the avid cinema-goer. However, the slight adjustments The Big Sick makes to the common rom-com formula set it apart as an incredibly honest, realistic tale where everything doesn’t just fall into place to please the protagonist. Not only does Kumail and Emily’s relationship withstand a great deal of suffering, a lot of that suffering isn’t the dramatic kind usually employed by Hollywood, but the quiet, life-goes-on-regardless kind of pain. The film is also very genuine in its protagonist’s passions outside of the love story, as Kumail also pursues family, friendship, and his career, despite adversity, instead of sacrificing them for the sake of an overly-simplified romance-centred plot.

Kumail’s own sense of humour comes across in the writing and in his acting performance, between his stand-up sequences and his general reactions to his environment and interactions with other characters, particularly those of Emily’s parents in the run-up to her surgery. Perhaps a missed opportunity for deeper emotional appeal, Emily’s parents and Kumail stumble from Emily’s hospital waiting room to normal life quite easily; while it’s understandable to want to take one’s mind off a serious situation, the weight of Emily’s impending surgery is swept aside a few times too many, for the sake of creating a light-hearted exchange between Kumail, Beth and Terry. Otherwise, the performance of the cast is compelling and enjoyable to watch throughout the film.

There is use of contemporary culture throughout, from Emily ordering an Uber and ending up with Kumail as her driver, to a comedy show heckler who makes a comment about ISIS during Kumail’s routine – and this isn’t the only terror-based comment he has to deflect with his subversive sense of humour. Though films generally tend to avoid dating themselves too much, so as not to become irrelevant too quickly, The Big Sick’s cultural markers add to its overall character and atmosphere, especially as the issues it raises are unique to its place in time.

The Big Sick is a welcome twist on the romantic comedy, which loses a lot of the unrealistic cliche associated with the genre, weaving a narrative that’s complex, yet genuine. While it deals with topics specific to a certain demographic, it in no way denies access to the common viewer, offering a window into the story of the real Kumail and Emily.